


rock on (gold dust woman).

by LadyVisenya



Series: pjo x mcu [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Marvel Cinematic Universe Fusion, Gen, Iron Man Fusion, annabeth chase is iron man, juniper is mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-04-22 23:56:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19139434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyVisenya/pseuds/LadyVisenya
Summary: iron man 2. Annabeth Chase style.





	1. Chapter 1

It’s summer. So his mother spending the money meant for their heat and electricityon vodka does’t really matter. But it still means Ethan will have to find a better hiding place as soon as fall begins.

The tv is on.

Powered by one of the solar powered generators he’d made out of scraps. It’s much too rudimentary for his liking but it’s the best he can do.

His mother reeking of alcohol on the couch, still in a grimy bathrobe that she’s had since before his father left them.

Ethan sighs, kicking off his shoes and work jacket. Rummaging around the kitchen until he finds some stale crackers and a can of pickled fish. He’s much too tired tonight to bother with actually making a proper meal.

Maybe he should’ve joined the others for dinner and drinks but his stomach churns at the thought of drinking.

“Hey mom,” he says, plopping down on the ground by her, offering her a plate full of his hastily thrown together dinner. It’s times like these when he wishes that the country was still communist. That the U.S.S.R. was still together.

Then he could’ve gone to university and he wouldn’t be stuck here.

In a dead end job.

Ethan’s always been bright, going through his mother’s old workbooks with ease, but there’s no money for university. Building and fixing whatever they needed once his mom stopped having good days. Little more than a ghost of a former glory that never was in the same way the soviet era cast it’s shadow over the city.

His earliest memory is his father turning on the news, rushing to explain as the berlin wall came down. Telling him that things were going to change. Things were going to be as good as they were back in Japan.

No more shortages.

Mcdonalds and chips and-

Nemesis sits up, hand reaching fro the control. “How was work?”

He shrugs. “Boring. Tiring. Not much too tell.”

She nods, gaze slipping from his, only vaguely paying attention. She switches the tv from reruns of some show neither of them care for to the news. Which means she’s pretty sober. Or very very drunk.

Either way mom’ll be yelling at the news soon.

Ethan wipes his hands clean and starts working on the phone he’s been repairing. All it needs is a new battery and it’ll be good. He can sell it.

The news shows some blonde woman with steel in her eyes, hair haphazardly cut close, and a big Chase Industries logo on the screen.

“Ethan. That should be you.” She waves her hands about, vodka in hand, eyes narrowed at the screen. Ethan does his best to not roll his eyes at his mom.

He’s not in the mood to dodge.

“Are you listening?”

“Forget that crap,” Ethan tells her, closing the phone back up.

Nemesis snarls, lips curling in anger and she throws the control at the wall. “That should be me!”

He places the dishes back in the kitchen and flees to his room.

*

Knocking on the door wakes him up. It’s persistent and he’s surprised his mom hasn’t answered yet.

There’s still two hours left before he has to go to work. Ethan stretches before reluctantly getting out of bed.

“Officer,” he greets, still half asleep. His mother must have been wondering around drunk again. Nothing works her up like Chase Industries. He doesn’t understand. It all happened so long ago.

“Son,” the man sighs, wrinkles on his face standing out more than usual. “Your mother shot herself last night. I need you to come down and I.D the body.”

The taste in his mouth burns more than any vodka he’s ever had down to his throat as he swallows. Eyes burning.

“Okay.”

He thinks of all his mother’s old blueprints. Back from when she worked for Chase Industries.

He thinks of Iron Woman.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Annabeth gazes down over the Chase Expo campus, ablaze in the dark of the night. She’s already retrofitted the public universities in California with arc reactor generators. But this, this’ll be the real test.

See how much interest people have in actually buying into clean green energy and hopefully solidifying Chase Industries as a leader in clean energy instead of weapons. She takes a deep breath, her blood already pounding in her ears with anticipation.

Flying. That’s something she’ll never get over.

Captain America eat your heart out.

The airplane door opens and she jumps out, the Iron Woman mask sliding into place as she goes.

*

She lands, fireworks going off and the crowd cheers.

It takes a moment. Annabeth’s been in the spotlight, in certain circles, since she was born. This kind of spotlight, the cheering and fanatics. . .it’s new and she doesn’t know what to do with it.

The mask pulls back and she’s glad that she’s finally gotten the automatic mechanisms to work. No more being screwed in by robots.

“It’s good to be back,” she calls out, suit already synched up to the audio system. There’s so many people. Katie had the right idea in making general admission free for kids.

“Blow something up,” someone yells and it still makes her stomach twist. How much time did she waste on weapons, on death when she could have been making a real difference.

God, she’s supposed to be a genius and yet how long had it taken her to see that. Katie’s too good to say I told you so, but it’s what Annabeth deserves.

“Blow something up,” she chuckles, “I already did that. I’m not saying that the world is enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years because of me. I’m not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has a greater phoenix metaphor been personified in human history. I’m not saying that Uncle Sam and all the other nations can kick back on a lawn chair, sipping on an iced tea because I haven’t come across anyone who can go toe-to-toe with me on my best day.” _No more dead civilians._

Afghanistan’s finally at peace. They’ll having elections soon and she’s making sure to fly by every now and then, giving the government teeth. The people who’ve beensurviving terrorists for so long finally have a chance to rebuild the country.

“We love you Annie!” A woman screams.

Thalia would smirk at that before bursting into laughter.

“Please, it’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s not even about us. It’s about legacy. It’s about what we choose to leave behind for future generations. And that’s why for the next year and for the first time since 1974, the best and brightest men and women of nations and corporations the world over will pool their resources, share their collective vision, to leave behind a brighter future. It’s not about us. Therefore, what I’m saying, if I’m saying anything, is welcome back to the Chase Expo. And now, making a special guest appearance from the great beyond to tell you what it’s all about, please welcome my mother, Athena.”

Katie and Grover were always talking about how it would take a worldwide effort to end global climate change. She hoped that this was the first step towards that.

It’s only been six months since she got her head out of her ass and she’s already done so much. And she’s only one person. Granted, a genius, but a whole collective of bright minds.

With potentially thousands of visitors every day they’re open?

It’s the legacy she wants to leave.

The projector powers on as she makes her way of stage, her mother’s face appearing, the graininess of old film charming. There’s hundreds of hours of video of Athena. News clips. Meetings. Interviews. Always larger than life.

Before she was a mother she was Athena Chase, and icon both to her daughter and the public.

Then, Annabeth would like to think they would have eventually managed some sort of relationship.

Her mother’s face so much like her own.

“Everything is achievable through technology. Better living, robust health, and for the first time in human history, the possibility of world peace. So, from all of us here at Chase Industries, I would like to personally introduce you to the City of the Future.”

Annabeth swallows thickly, using her blood toxicity testing device, handily made to look like an average insulin pump, to test her levels. The arc reactor, while clean, was not exactly healthy to have in the way Annabeth used it. The palladium in the core, right next to her heart, was slowly poisoning her.

“ Technology holds infinite possibilities for mankind, and will one day rid society of all its ills. Soon technology will affect the way you live your life every day. No more tedious work, leaving more time for leisure activities and enjoying the sweet life. The Stark Expo. Welcome.”

Nineteen percent. Shit.

Time for more chlorophyll as soon as she could get her hands on some away from prying eyes. Away from Katie. Gardner did enough for her already.

Fuck. How was Annabeth going to tell her any of this when she just go Annabeth back after Afghanistan?


	3. Chapter 3

Grover slides into the passenger seat of the Shelby Cobra, and flashes a paper at her. “You’ve been served.”

The effect is ruined by his immediate laughter.

Annabeth rolls her eyes. “A subpoena? What for?” The government has been hounding her for the iron woman suit. But it had been months of just talking. No concrete action.

She can’t do it again. It could start another arms race like in the cold war. More blood on her hands. Iron Woman is a good thing, in the right hands. In the wrong ones, it’s just another deadly weapon.

Desperately she hopes that her hands are-that she’s being responsible about this whole superhero business. So much second guessing, so much doubt.

It was easier before when she would just go into her lab and work, handing off blueprints to other, uncaring about what went on outside her head, outside her scientific breakthroughs.

“You are hereby ordered to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow morning at 9 am,” Grover states as his eyes skim over the page. No New York pizza then.

“Wanna road trip it down to Washington,” Annabeth voices even as she clicks on the GPS there.

“As long as you remember-“

“Your upcoming vacation.” Grover hasn’t shut up about Juniper since he’d asked for the time off. It was cute. Which meant lots of teasing. “Are you sure you want to spend your vacation in New Mexico? No great outdoors or I don’t know. . .paris?”

Grover’s cheeks turn red even as he rolls his eyes. “Juniper’s really excited to show me her research in person.”

“Grover,” Annabeth notes with amusement, “you don’t even pretend to listen to me when I’m explaining my work.”

“You’re not Juniper.”

“Fair enough.”

*

The first thing Katie does when they meet up in the Senate, bench full of lawyers and senators and the press at their back, hungry for something-anything to happen, the worse, the better, is smack her arm. “Your welcome.”

All Annabeth can do is smile before Senator Stern, an ancient man who’s probably been in congress since before she was born.

“Can I have your attention,” he speaks into the microphone. It’s a lot like being at boarding school all over again, getting called into the headmaster’s office for skipping class. Too easy. A waste of her time.

“Sure,” Annabeth utters and she can feel Katie’s stare bore a hole into her skull. This is why so many people think she’s a cold bitch.

“Do you or do you not possess a specialized weapon?”

Annabeth fights the urge to roll her eyes. Of course that’s the only thing they care about. Going back to the big stick policy. “I do not,” she says listlessly.

It’s become something of a routine between her and the government by now.

“You do not?”

“I do not,” and then because she’s Annabeth Chase, not a saint, not even close, she adds, “Well, it depends on how you define the word weapon.”

“The Iron Woman weapon,” Senator Stern says tightly.

“My device does not fit that description.” Annabeth’s got a solid counterargument put together at least. Even a deadman switch and override controls should the worst happen. Which looks like a distinct possibility if she doesn’t find a palladium substitute and fast.

“Well,” Senator Stern allows, “How would you describe it?”

“It’s a high tech prosthesis.” It had been Grover’s idea. And then she’d ran with it all the way over to research and development because he wasn’t wrong. Grover in the average leg prosthesis was her driver. She knew she could do way better. “That’s the most apt description I can make of it.” And now with her heart condition, she was technically disabled.

It worked.

The committee was not amused.

“It’s a weapon,” Senator Stern states, “It’s a weapon Miss Chase.”

She gives up and rolls her eyes. Enough with playing nice. Politicians didn’t even care about much past getting re-elected. “Please, if your priority was actually the well being of the american citizens-“

“My priority is to get the Iron Man weapon turned over to the people of the United States of America.”

“Well, you can forget it. I am Iron Woman. The suit and I are one. To turn over the Iron Woman suit would be to turn over myself which is tantamount to indentured servitude or prostitution, depending or what state you’re in. You can’t have it.”

The Senator sighs before continuing, “look I’m not expert. . .”

“And if you’re going to start making weapon accusations let’s bring the second amendment and the NRA into it too while you’re making these ludicrous accusations.”

Katie shakes her head, before bringing her hand to rub at her temples.

Fuck. Mistake. She’s fucked up already.

“I’m no expert in weapons. We have somebody here who is an expert on weapons. I’d now like to call Justin Hammer, our current primary weapons contractor.”

Annabeth almost slams her head against the table. Justin Hammer was just some rich business graduate looking to war profiteer. A weapons expert he was not.

She can’t help but state it out loud, “Let the record reflect that I observed Mr Hammer entering the chamber, and I am wondering if and when any actual expert will also be in attendance.”

Katie covers her face with her hand.

Justin Hammer, smarmy as usual, swaggers out to testify in and atrocious suit with a supreme shirt underneath and an off white belt. His neon orange shoes are also off white.

He smiles at Annabeth before starting, confident that all attention was now on him. “Absolutely. I’m no expert. I defer to you, Annabeth. You’re the wonder girl. Senator, if I may. I may well not be an expert, but you know who was the expert? Your mom, Athena Chase. Really a mother to us all, and to the military-industrial age.”

“Let’s just be clear, she was no flower child. She was a lion. We all know why we’re here. In the last six months, Annabeth Chase has created a sword with untold possibilities. And yet, she insists it’s a shield. She asks us to trust her as we cower behind it. I wish I were comforted, Annabeth, I really do. I’d love to leave my door unlocked when I leave the house, but this ain’t Canada. You know, we live in a world of grave threats, threats that Mr Chase will not always be able to foresee. Thank you. God bless Iron Woman. God bless America.”

She wonders what poor writer was paid to write that garbage.

Senator Stern smiles. “That is well said Mr Hammer. The committee would now like to invite Lieutenant Colonel Thalia Grace to the chamber.”

“Thalia,” Annabeth utters, catching her friends gaze, wearing her military attire with they type of swagger that Justin Hammer could only try and replicate. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Thalia doesn’t bother to sugar coat it. “Yup. It’s me. Deal with it. Let’s move on.”

Annabeth wonders if she should’ve payed more attention. Returned those calls, but she’s also sure that Thalia will know somethings wrong and will pick and probe until she finds out.

“Drop it.”

“Okay,” Annabeth answers, leaning back in her chair. Her reaction at seeing the only friend of hers not on the payroll’ll will probably be on the tabloids tomorrow if it hasn’t already blown up on facebook.

“I have before me a complete report on the Iron Man weapon, complied by Colonel Rhodes. And, Colonel, for the record, can you please read page 57, paragraph four?” Senator Stern announces.

More cameras go off.

Thalia leans into the microphone, “For clarity, you are asking me to read specific sections from my report?”

“Yes.”

Her jaw tightens. Face schooled into a neutrality that Annabeth had never thought she’d see on her friend, who was always picking fights and partying and dragging Annabeth out of MIT’s labs.

“It was my understanding,” Thalia adds meeting Annabeth’s gunmetal eyes, “that I was going to be testifying in a comprehensive and detailed manner. Not just reading sections without any context.”

“I understand. A lot of things have changed today. So if you could just read…”

Thalia’s eyebrow twitches. “You do understand that reading a single paragraph out of context does not reflect the summery of my final…” she reiterates.

“Just read it Colonel. Thank you.”

Annabeth’s lips twitch up, glad her friend hasn’t completely decided to sell her out without any warning. It’s still the same old Thalia.

“Very well.” Thalia begins. “As she does not operate within any definable branch of government, Iron Woman presents a potential threat to the security of both the nation and to her interests.” I did however, go on to summarise that the benefits of Iron Woman far outweigh three liabilities and that it would be in our interest-”

“That’s enough.”

“-to fold Miss Chase into out existing chain of command Senator.”

Annabeth smiles. College Thalia probably would’ve already thrown a punch. They’ve both grown so much.

“I’m not much of a joiner,” Annabeth adds, smirking, “but I’ll consider Secretary of Defense if you ask nice.” And start funneling military funds into neglected sectors of government like education she doesn’t say.

“I would like to go on and present further imagery connected with your report.”

Thalia audibly sighs. “I believe it is somewhat premature to reveal these images to the general public at this time.”

“With all due respect, Colonel, I understand. And if you could just narrate those for us, we’d be very grateful. Let’s have the images.”

They wheel out an ancient tv that Annabeth definitely had in her own classes, mounted on a stand, big and bulky.

Thalia begins, “Intelligence suggests that the devices seen in these photos are, in fact, attempts at making manned copies of Miss Chase’s suit. This has been corroborated by our allies and local intelligence on the ground…”

They’re terrible attempts. Worse than some of the actual robotics research being done that has very little to do with copying Annabeth’s own work. Either way, people are stupid, so she has a Chase satellite look them up.

She has to kill this before they turn public opinion on her.

“Hold on,” she states, turning her phone into projector mode. “Time for a little transparency. Now, let’s see what’s really going on.”

“North Korea,” she states as the suit falls over, not even powered on. And shit she might have actually started an arms race all over again. Fuck. She can’t afford to make these mistakes. No matter how far behind the rest of the world is from her suit’s technology.

“Iran.” Another failure. The suit gains flight, a few feet off the ground before falling back down.

“No grave threat here. Is that Justin Hammer? How did Hammer get in the game?” No wonder he’s here to testify. “The point here is your welcome basically.”

“For what,” Senator Stern voices, as close to shouting as he can get while all cameras are pointed at him.

“For world peace. For being you’re nuclear deterrent.” It’s unbelievable. “You really can’t just sit back and enjoy a safe and secure world. A secure America? Because it’s working. You want my property? You can’t have it. But I did you a big favour.” She stands up, ignoring the officials for the actual public. For the people who vote and she’s doing this for.

The public.

“I’ve successfully created world peace.” Now that’s a legacy she can die happy about. Give Thalia her suit. Leave. . .leave Katie her company. she’s more than capable.

The reporters go wild.

“We’re adjourned for today.”

Thalia’s laughing. Katie looks pissed. Story of her life.

She tried playing nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos much appreciated :)


	4. Chapter 4

The thing Ethan learned very quickly, was that people throw away things that only need minor fixes most of the time. A cell phone that needs a new battery. A car that could use a transmission. So many pieces of sophisticated machinery just laying around in junkyards.

Ethan hadn’t started out building things for fun. But out of necessity. Fixing heaters. Learning how to steal wifi. How to build solar powered generators and batteries and building computers from scraps.

It was all his mother, her hands nimble and careful, explaining everything to him, so he could replicate it as well. Her smile as he worked on his first circuit board. The sharp scent of vodka and earth as she hugged him, curled under all their blankets next to the heater in the middle of winter.

It’s not hard, to build an arc reactor. The palladium proves to be a challenge. Striping it from fuel cells and catalytic converters is tedious work. But it’s the best metal for the arc reactor. The parts that will lie next to his skin carefully shielded.

His aim is revenge. Not metal poisoning.

Nemesis was a drunk. But she was also his mother.

His mother who fixed up phones and computers trying to make rent and pay bills and still have enough to buy his school supplies and-

Ethan takes a break from his work. Wiping the tears from his eyes before they can burn their way down his cheeks.

The arc reactor flickers to life, a steady light in his workshop.

*

Annabeth breathes a sigh of relief as soon as she’s back home. Surrounded by her robots. Her machinery. Her fingers tracing over the discolored veins emanating from the arc reactor in her chest as her robot Polias blends up a chlorophyll smoothies.

“Polias, the lid,” she states. The robotic arm merely waves and she rolls her eyes fondly. “Maybe you could use one last update.”

She reaches for one of the mugs in her drawer, wrinkling her nose at the green concoction. It was only a band aid over the problem, but it was better than nothing while she gets her affairs in order.

“Festus,” she asks out loud, “how many ounces of this are we up to?”

“Eighty miss,” Festus voices replies, as familiar to her as her own voice. “to counteract the symptoms.”

Eventually, it would stop working. And then. . .Annabeth couldn’t let herself think like that. There had to be some combination of metals she hadn’t tried.

She gulps down the green drink, trying to ignore the flavor. It tasted like the vegan protein powder drinks Grover somethings had; dirt and grass in the worst way.

“Check palladium levels.” She pricks her fingertip with her machine and brushes it aside in favor of letting Festus break the news to her.

“Blood toxicity, 24%. It appears that the continued use of the Iron Woman suit is accelerating your condition. Another core has been depleted.”

Fuck.

It’s not like, she’s not giving up flying and world peace and something that’s hers and not just a continuation of her mother, of Chase Industries.

She pops the arc reactor out of her chest and clicks a new one into place. The process a thousand times more streamlined than the first version.

She can, she’s offered up the arc reactor. Clean energy and yet all anyone seems to focus on is the weapon.

“How are the simulations going?”

“I have run simulations on every known element, and none can serve as a viable replacement for the palladium core,” Festus replies, concern coloring his tone. She’ glad its him and not some programed machine. “You are running out of both time and options. Unfortunately, the device that’s keeping you alive is also killing you.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” she snaps, frustrated. Hell, even vibranium hadn’t worked.

“Miss Gardner is approaching. I suggest you inform her-“

“Mute,” Annabeth orders. She has more than enough on her plate right now. And she can’t put that burden on Katie. Not until she has a solution. Katie doesn’t deserve to watch her waste away and Annabeth isn’t sure she could handle Katie’s pity either.

“What were you thinking!”

Ah there it is. “Is this about the senate because public opinion is on our side,” she responds, tilting her head, and smiling at her closest companion.

“That is far from handled. And you know very well what I was talking about,” Katie counters, iPad in hand as she glares at Annabeth.

She shrugs shamelessly, “I mean. There’s generally a lot that I do that-“

“You donated our entire modern art collection to-,”

“Small midwestern museums need cool art to not just the quote un-quote costal elite. And Ours?”

Katie rolls her eyes, “Yes. Ours. I curated the majority of the collection, over years. You only really cared for the building models we acquired. Or should I say I acquired for you.”

“I like architecture.” Annabeth ducks her head, chastised. Maybe she should’ve left the art to her and donated her shares of Chase industries to charity instead. “Okay,” she admits, “I should’ve talked to you about it.”

“Thank you. Now I know you don’t want to hear it,” Katie states, “but the Expo is a gigantic waste of time. And money. A complete vanity project. You could’ve just used that money to donate a bunch of arc reactors in impoverished nations. Or China! Cut back on the worlds fossil fuels.”

“It’s not a vanity project.”

Katie shakes her head, “it is. You want scientists to work together? Internships! Scholarships! Hell hire more people or throw a convention for a fraction of the cost with the same results. Make grants.”

“From now on all art decisions go through you then. I mean, pretty much everything already does but I won’t sell our stuff without your input.”

“We’ve moved on from that Annabeth. Chase is in complete disarray. We still don’t have a CFO. And the board would like a CEO that actually oversees the company.” Katie says, hands on her hips.

“I can be Iron Woman and CEO.”

“No. You can’t. Stop half assing things,” Katie all but yells as she takes a seat, her loose linen pants replied by some Katherine Hepburn wide legged trousers. It’s a new look for her, but as with most things she does, with full conviction, it works.

“We’ve already awarded contract to the avocado plastic people and you need to make a decision on the nuclear waste treatment-,”

“I-,” so maybe she has been dropping the ball. But World peace. Or as close to world peace as they’ve had in her lifetime. And it’s fragile so she can’t drop the ball on that. “I’ve made a decision.”

“Great,” Katie says pointedly, “let’s hear it.” Annabeth can count on one hand how many people can talk to her like that; how many people’s opinion she values as much as Katie’s. And at the end of the day, it’s Katie that Annabeth trusts and relies on.

“You run the company.”

“What,” yells granola girl Katie who’s a scientist so completely qualified in her opinion. If she can put up with Annabeth, then she can handle a company.

Annabeth grins as she gets down on one knee. “Katie Gardner, would you be Chase Industries CEO?”

Katie goes from surprised to confused, settling on annoyed as she huffs, “you’re not funny Annabeth. I’m already trying to run the company. But I need you to-“

“I mean it,” she says, tilting her head up at the other woman, “run the company. As in you. Just you.”

“Have you been drinking again,” Katie asks hesitantly. She’d been visibly relieved when Annabeth drastically cut back on her drinking habits, but hadn’t actually commented.

“Chlorophyll. I hereby irrevocably appoint you chairman and CEO of Stark Industries effective immediately. Yeah, done deal. Okay? I’ve actually given this a fair amount of thought, believe it or not. Figuring out who’s a worthy successor and the paperwork and it’s you. It’s always been you.” 

There’s no one else she trusts with Chase Industries. No one else who’d be better. Might actually be better than Annabeth herself who hates going to the offices and labs because all she see’s is Arachne.

Here’s the lab where Arachne and her would prep for pitches. Here’s the room where Arachne liked to have lunch in because she liked seeing everyone at work. There’s her office, where Annabeth would hide out in and Arachne always had chips in her drawer.

Katie takes a deep breath.

“Say you accept,” Annabeth says, getting up again. Her knee having started to go numb. Her hands reaching out to steady the shocked woman that Annabeth’s come to love so much. Her broad nose, lines around her lips from how often she’s smiling and laughing, the songs she hums as she carves time out of her day to water the plants.

“Okay.”

“Great, lets do your favorite thing and sign paperwork.”

Katie rolls her eyes, her hand soft in Annabeth’s own hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no one:   
> me: have a percy jackson marvel fusion fic (even tho the fandoms dead lol)


	5. Chapter 5

Ethan’s first time setting foot in russia, without his mother there, like she always talked about when he was a boy, feels wrong. Despite everything, she’d loved her country, the country that no longer existed. Not just Kazakhstan. Not russia, not really. 

He’s grown up speaking both and english and what little Japanese he can remember. Though he’s long since given up hope that he’ll ever see his father again. Not that he cares if he left them.

Russia is both like home and not.

And then he gets to St. Petersburg and he feels adrift, a fish out of water. It’s so big and different and he could easily spend the rest of his days learning these streets and these people and breathing in the sea air.

But no sea air is the same and he can’t. Not yet anyway. Once Ethan’s destroyed Annabeth Chase and Chase Industries, then he can disappear into the vastness that is Russia. He won’t be able to go back home, but that’s okay.

The air is not so different.

He dumps his other’s ashes into her sea, by her homeland, along with a bottle of vodka all before going to pickup the fake passport. It feels right.

And his chest feels a little lighter after.

*

Katie comes into the gym wearing her Katherine Hepburn trousers and birkenstocks, hair in a neat afro. “The notary’s here! Can you please come sign the transfer paperwork?”

Annabeth doesn’t bother responding, focusing in on Grover and his clunky movements as he’s weighted down with padding. She aims her elbow at his face, careful not to throw too much weight behind it.

“Hey,” he bleats, “what the hell was that!”

“Mixed martial arts,” she offers shamelessly. It’s such a relief to have short hair. Annabeth’s never going back. No more worrying about her hair falling into her eyes.

“No,” Grover protests, “that was dirty boxing.”

“My krav maga instructor said to use any advantage in a real fight.”

“Not a real fight Annie,” he complains, before raising his padded arms again.

Katie rolls her eyes, foot tapping against the floor, “I promise this is the only time I will ask you to sign over your company.”

“No take backs,” Annabeth jokes as she slides out of the ring.

The Notary walks in all toned muscle, wearing a skintight pantsuit and heels. Her skin rich like nice leather, high cheekbones and a friendly smile that doesn’t reach her sharp eyes. Hair braided like Daenarys Targaryen. “I need you to initial each box.”

“Who,” she asks, glancing over at Katie, as she signs.

“I’m Munoz. Pauline Munoz.”

“Wanna have a go at Grover?”

“Annie,” Katie says with years of pent up exasperation.

“It’s okay,” Pauline assures them, kicking her heels off, “I don’t mind.” And steps into the ring with Grover.

“So,” she asks Katie again as she reaches for her chlorophyll bottle, “what’s the deal with her.”

Katie leans against her, their shoulders meeting, “she is from legal. And a very good worker. Why?”

“I need a new assistant boss,” Annabeth teases.

“Don’t you want to go through a few people so they’ll call you the devil wears iron?”

Annabeth laughs.

“I’ve got some new me’s lined up.”

“I like her though,” Annabeth protests, before calling out to the other woman, “hey how do you spell your name?”

“M u n o z.”

“Didn’t we have a conversation about data mining. I feel like we had this conversation,” Katie notes, arching a brow.

“Impressive file.”

“Yeah. We do background checks on all our employees using software that you developed just for this purpose.”

“Double checking never hurt,” Annabeth says with faux innocence as she looks over at Katie’s fond gaze.

“You’re so predictable do you know that.” Her eyes already going down to flick through her trusty iPad, reading over emails and files and her excel spreadsheets.

“She speaks Cherokee. Who speaks Cherokee?”

“The Cherokee,” Katie responds without glancing up. “Should I start looking at houses?”

“For what?”

“For me,” she says with a meaningful gaze at Annabeth.

“No, don’t move out. I’d be so lonely and you designed your own rooms so. . .you can’t.” She’s hardly about to wax poetic about how great Katie is in front of a stranger.

“Such a strong argument,” Katie teases, with a big smile.

“I want her as my new assistant. She’s got everything I need.”

Pauline flips Grover over her shoulder, slamming him down against the mat.

“Ow.”

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Annabeth says with a grin.

“I still need your impression,” Pauline states, slipping out of the ring with a natural fluidity to her movements. 

Annabeth obliges with her thumb.

“Will that be all Miss Chase?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Katie urges.

Annabeth watches her go. All cold hard professionalism. “I want one.”

“Festus make her a job offer.”

“Do not-she’s legal. I’m sure she has career aspirations outside of being your assistant.”

“Did you?”

Katie rolls her eyes, “that was different. You were a CEO. Now you’re a superhero.”

“You’re so right,” Annabeth teases, “much cooler. Let’s go celebrate at the Monoco Grand Prix. We’re sponsoring.”

“Okay. But just the weekend. I have to find a CFO.”

*

Annabeth packs along a reserve of arc reactors along with her iron woman suit. The company’s in good hands. Now she just needs to figure out how to speak to Thalia about the suit.

Break it to her three friends.

Then. . .or she can just not say anything and fix what’s killing her.

Maybe she should’ve stayed in that cave.

They spend the first half of the flight sitting next to each other while getting through their emails and papers and Annabeth keeps looking through all her works in progress and delegating because she’s running out of time.

She’s not even that old.

“Are you feeling okay Annie,” Katie asks her, looking up from her laptop, places perched on her nose.

“Yeah,” she replies, “I think I’m going to try and nap before we land.”

“You’ll be jet lagged.”

“Doubt it.” Annabeth probably owes herself ten thousand hours of sleep. She’ll be fine.

*

Katie doesn’t look surprised to see Pauline joining them in Monaco. Merely giving her a roll of her eyes and moving past the paparazzi in the entrance.

She leads them to their table with a view, in the corner, with some semblance of privacy. Annabeth’s just starting to feel good about this whole trip, tweed jacket over her ancient track shirt that had Katie laughing when she saw her in the hotel lobby, when Justin Hammer slinks over to talk.

“Great,” she mutters to Katie, “my least favorite person on earth.”

“Do you think he still uses Axe body spray?”

Annabeth almost chokes on her mineral water.

“Hey pal,” Justin smiles, his hand clamped on her shoulder.

“Justin Hammer.”

“How you doing? You’re not the only rich guy here with a fancy car. You know Isaiah Levey from _Vanity Fair_. You guys know each other?”

Annabeth wishes the earth would crack open and swallow her whole. This is why she tries not to sleep with reporters.

“Yes.”

“We do,” Katie asks.

“BTW, big story,” Justin adds, “The new CEO of Chase Industries. Congrats.”

“Thank you Mr Hammer,” Katie states evenly.

“Sorry,” Isaiah adds, “but my editor will kill me if I don’t grab a quote for our powerful women in business issue.”

“Oh, of course.”

Justin, of course, buts in, “you know he’s doing a big spread on me for Vanity Fair. I thought I’d throw him a bone you know.”

“Right well,” Katie notes, getting up from her seat, “He did quite a spread on Annie last year.”

Annabeth can’t help but snort, “and a story too.”

“It was very impressive,” Katie says, this time actually addressing Isaiah.

“Thank you.”

“Let’s have word then,” he ask questioningly and every bit as handsome as Annabeth remembered.

“Sure.”

She pleads at Katie, “Don’t leave me.”

Katie, ignores her.

“So buddy,” Justin says taking a seat at her table.

“Going to have to put you on hold right there Justin,” Annabeth responds, “going to go powder my nose.”

*

Her blood toxicity is 53%. Over sixty four the chlorophyll won’t be much help. That’s what, another go in the suit.

Shit. Shit.

She takes deep breathes in the stall, studies the tile, her van’s the Iron woman colors. Her hands shake as she rubs her temples. There’s got to be something she hasn’t tried before.

Jaw tightly clamped down on the urge to scream.

Fuck it.

She heads for the racing cars.

Might as well live a little.


	6. Chapter 6

Driving in a race car’s a little like flying.

Less maneuverability, but it’s just as thrilling, heart pounding in her chest. Blood rushing in her ears, reminding her that she’s here, alive, and breathing. Nothing can really compare.

Not even hours in her lab.

Her hands steady on the wheel. The suit less comfortable than her own. All her thoughts blotted out and faded as she focuses on the car and the track and beating anyone and everyone.

Annabeth Chase was raised to be a champion.

She can do this. Win. Add that to the Chase name and try not to think about the little disappointed twitch of her mother’s lips.

Then there’s lighting across the track.

No. Not lightening. Not lightening at all.

It’s the steady blue tinted light arc reactors give off. A twin to the one in her chest. She can’t make out the man’s features from here. But he’s well built and harnessing an arc reactor into weapons, the barebones of an exoskeleton strapped to his bare chest and arms and it’s much too late to do anything.

Annabeth is suitless.

She doesn’t want to die.

Her car crashes anyways.

The pain is instant, every inch of her body aching and burning and she can’t breathe. The smoke and everything all wrong. Her ears are ringing.

She shoves her helmet off, squirming out of the wreckage. She needs to find cover and fast. Because the man’s gaze is on her, taking his time to walk towards her. Some type of asian. He’s too far to narrow it down. High cheekbones, dark eyes. Hair hanging past his chin. He might be handsome. If he wasn’t trying to kill her.

Annabeth doesn’t want to die.

But she can’t call herself a hero is she’s only a hero with her fancy suit.

If she’s he’s target, she has to buy time, lead him away from the crowd. From the racers.

Annabeth uses a piece of the wreckage to smash the man’s head with. Feeling miserably weak and exposed without her suit as he retaliates with his electrical whips.

She rolls out of the way, backing, trying to put as much space between them as possible but the man keeps coming, his mouth pressed tight in determination. She’s sure she’s never seen him before in her life and usually the people shooting at her are run of the mill terrorists and drug lords.

Not well built east asian men.

Annabeth runs for it, outmatched.

Getting slammed against a wreaked car, falling down all over again. Her head hurts, from getting banged on the ground as she looks around. Think. think. What can she do?

Leaking gasoline.

The man’s still approaching.

Her jumpsuit should be fire resistant enough. She just has to time it right.

Let him keep coming for her.

The man strikes the car and Annabeth jumps out of the way as it’s consumed in fire. The man a safe distance away. it can never be that easy can it. She really shouldn’t use the suit again.

Not if she wants to have time to explain and say goodbye.

At least this time around she gets that much. It’s more than her parents got.

She has seconds to scurry out of the way as Grover crashes their car into her attacker.

“Are you okay,” Grover cries out.

“Yeah,” Annabeth calls back, walking over, anticipating the suit in her fingertips. She can end this now. “Just for reference, were you headed for me or him?”

“I was trying to scare him,” Grover protests, his familiar curls and wide set eyes a relief after almost getting cut in half by some lunatic. A lunatic with an arc reactor.

“Are you out of your mind,” Katie yells, flushed red and hysterical, “get in the fucking car!”

“I was attacked. We need better security.” They need Iron Woman. And she can’t be Iron Woman, won’t be here-

“Get in the car Annie,” Grover shouts.

“You’re CEO. Better security measures. God, it’s embarrassing.” She’s got one hand on the door when the man slices it in half. It’s never that easy.

“Oh my god,” Katie screams.

“Hit him again,” Annabeth orders Grover.

“Take the case,” Katie says, trying to save the case over to her.

“Well give it to me.”

Katie wordlessly screams as the car’s sliced in half.

“The case Katie,” Annabeth cries out, because she can’t, she can’t protect her friends without it. Grover hit him with a car and yet he’s still pissed and coming at her.

She takes the handles, the case reading her prints and the suit expanding over her, slotting into place. She needs an automatic one. Maybe some bracelets, that just flies to her. No more lugging a case around.

But for now she’ll settle for ripping the arc reactor out of the attacker’s chest.

*

“We ran his prints. We got nothing back. Not even a name.”

“I want to talk to him,” Annabeth states. If she says it confidently enough, they’ll let her without much protesting.

“Five minutes.”

The holding cell is piss poor. Without the arc reactor. Without the robotic exoskeleton, the attacker is just a man.

Now, standing here, she’s not sure what to say. What she should do. If there’s anything for her to do.

She decides to try and draw the truth out of him. “Pretty decent tech. Cycles per second were a little low. You could have doubled up your rotations. You focused the repulsor energy through ionised plasma channels. It’s effective. Not very efficient. But it’s a passable knock-off. I don’t get it. A little fine tuning you could have made a solid pay check. You could have sold it to North Korea, China, Iran, or gone onto the black market. You look like you got friends in low places.”It’s not a bad copy by any means.

Hell, based on the tech he used, Annabeth couldn’t have done a better job.

The man looks up at her, from his place on the poor excuse for a bed. Eyes narrowed as he studies her. About her age. It a look full of hatred.

She isn’t sure she’s earned it. She’s never met this man before in her life.

“You come from a family of thieves and butchers. And now, like all guilty men, you try to rewrite your own history. And you forget all the lives the Chase family has destroyed.”

The look he gave her, the effort he’s put into all this, it’s too personal for this blanket statement.

It has to be personal.

“Where did you get this design?” Annabeth isn’t stupid. His design might as well be a prototype. In her mind, she can still see the first iterations as she worked on them, Arachne handing her a latte late at night, giving up on sending Annabeth to sleep.

“My mother. Nemesis Nurbayev.”

Annabeth bites the inside of her cheek. There’s so many people, so many wrongs. Business was all about coming out on top no matter what, no matter the cost. Arachne had taught her that. “I’ve never heard of her.”

It sounds too much like an admittance of wrong. Her eyes flickering down to her feet.

The man gets up, walking to the bars, the only thing separating them now. “My mother is the reason you’re alive.”

It could be true. Annabeth thinks. Science doesn’t subscribe to the great man of history narrative. How many hundreds of discoveries, or experiments, by so many people, to get to any theory, any actual fact. How many hundreds of years of history until we confirmed that the earth revolves around the sun.

The blueprints for the arc reactor came before her. She might have made them feasible and profitable, but she didn’t invent the idea. Didn’t invent the wheel.

“I wouldn’t know. There’s-there’s a lot my mother never told me. We weren’t close and any chance we might have had-well, she’s gone.” Annabeth looks at the man. Fuck.

They were both just puppets still dancing to the strings their parents have set for them. Paying the price for their mother’s actions.

“Hell, I wanted to be an architect.” She hadn’t thought about that in years. It was never in the cards for her. Not when, “but my mother only cared for me when I was building-when I was the heir she wanted me to be.”

His face is unreadable. Their words hanging thickly between them.

What was she thinking, sharing this with a stranger, when even Katie, not even Thalia, knew about her childish dreams.

“I’ll look into it. . .”

“Ethan. Ethan Nakumura” he utters.

She wants to be better. That means bringing all the skeletons out of the closet. No matter what. She can’t pick and choose the truth she likes.

Annabeth turns to leave.

“Hey Annabeth,” Ethan calls out, relaxed for the first time since she’s known him, “before you go, palladium in the chest, painful way to die.”

It’s a sinking weight in her stomach. It makes sense he’d know. Given his ability to build an arc reactor using outdated blueprints and scraps. In a kinder world, maybe he’d be working with her.

Not locked up after his desperate attempt at. . .revenge? Closure. Did either of them stand a chance, under the shadow of their mother’s legacy?


	7. Chapter 7

“Well,” Katie states, as Annabeth slumps in the seat next to her, “he wasn’t lying. Nemesis worked with your mother during the cold war. A Kazakh scientist. Back in the seventies. At some point in the early eighties she was found to be selling data to Russia and got deported back to the soviets. She did work on early theoretical arc reactors.”

“I thought you were CEO now,” Annabeth teases, trying to figure out her next move. Does she go public? Does she tell Ethan first? Acknowledge a woman who helped even though she wasn’t perfect?

“I know how you like to be thorough. For old times sake.”

Annabeth rubs her face, “we should issue a statement. Give credit where it’s due. I know it might be too little too late, but it’s better than nothing.” Way to late. Her son will spend the rest of his days in prison.

Ethan Nakumura hadn’t even been to university, was no engineer and had still managed to build an arc reactor. What a waste of potential.

“Okay. Tell your new assistant that,” Katie quips, moving on to the next thick folder of paperwork.

“Congress is going to give me such shit over this,” she groans, leaning back. Thinking. Wondering if there was more she could do.

Annabeth sits up, looking over at Katie, “hey do you think we could get Ethan extradited to the U.S?”

“Operation paperclip,” Katie says with a slight smirk, before looking over at her. Studying Annabeth.

“Yeah.”

“We’re not doing great with the government right now, but maybe. Why?”

She shrugs. Maybe she’s wrong. No one forced Ethan to do anything after all. The same could be said about her though. “Just a thought.”

“Oh no.” Katie puts down her work for the first time in days.

“What?”

“Tall. Dark. Handsome?”

Annabeth raises her brow.

“He’s your type.” Katie giggles. “and just as clever as you too!”

“Shut up,” she replies with a roll of her eyes, cheeks burning, “he built an arc reactor out of scraps without any formal training. He’s fucking smart.”

“I’ll look into it. Promise.” Katie’s still smiling too wide for her liking.

*

Ethan escapes.

Ethan gets broken out of prison.

He thinks he should’ve turned himself in.

Because Justin Hammer has a smile like a shark. Like all the manager’s he’s ever worked for. No real warmth. Nothing in his eyes as he talks.

“I’d like to do some business with you. Please sit,” the man urges. “Anything you want here, we got it.”

Hesitantly, Ethan sits. Annabeth Chase was nothing like he thought she’d be. Nothing like she seemed in the news. All arrogance.

She was careful, thoughtful, and she cared. It was more than he could say for most people. She’s listened to him, and cared. Cared about a woman she’d never heard off before.

She was also dying.

“. . .Apparently you do too, for Annabeth Chase. What I saw you do to Chase on that track, how you stepped up to her in front of God and everybody that was… Wow. You spoke to me with what you did. And I know that you knew that I’d be listening. This is why I couldn’t bear to have you shipped off to God knows where. It would have been such a waste of talent. But if I might make a suggestion, you know, you don’t just go and try to kill the girl. I think, if I may, you go after her legacy. That’s what you kill. You and me, we are a lot alike in a lot of ways. The only difference between you and I is that I have resources. I think, if I may, you need my resources. Someone behind you, a benefactor. I’d like to be that guy.”

Ethan doubts he has much of a choice. Hammer’s being nice to him right now, but only because Ethan has something he wants.

Two can play at this game.

He can go along with this and make a run for it, disappear into some corner of the world.

It was his mother that wanted to be great.

Ethan’ll be all right as long as he has a warm meal and a place to sleep.

*

Thalia waltzes in despite her standing orders not to be disturbed. Annabeth knows Katie’s behind this. No one else could override her like that.

Pauline’s too new to have that type of power.

“Annie, you gotta get upstairs and get on top of this situation right now. Listen. I’ve been on the phone with the National Guard all day, trying to talk them out of rolling tanks up the PCH, knocking down your front door and taking these. They’re gonna take your suits, Annabeth, okay? They’re sick of the games. You said nobody else would possess this technology for 20 years. Well, guess what? Somebody else had it yesterday. It’s not theoretical anymore. Are you listening to me? Are you okay?” Her friend looks tired. Not even the purple in her hair can wipe the years away.

They’re not in college anymore.

Annabeth sits up from her spot on the floor. Working on more prototypes. A better suit. A better arc reactor. There’s still so much to do.

“Okay,” she nods, “let’s go.” She tries to stand, her legs weak. The room spins. Thalia’s quick hold on her the only thing that keeps her from falling over. Her head hurts like it’s being split open.

“Hey! Are you okay Annie? Because you don’t look even close to fine.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Annabeth assures her without any real confidence, “just need to sit at my desk for a bit I guess.” Thalia’s blue eyes are full of suspicion, brow followed with worry as she helps Annabeth to her desk, never relaxing her hold for a second.

“Guess I need to replace another arc reactor.”

“Shit,” Thalia utters as Annabeth removes it, already reaching for another one, “is it supposed to be smoking?”

Annabeth sighs. So much for keeping them from worrying for her. “If you must know, it’s neutron damage. It’s from the reactor wall.”

Thalia leans against her desk, her doc marten clad foot tapping against the floor, arms crossed over her chest. Staring up at the ceiling as she responds, “You had this in your body? And how about the high-tech crossword puzzle on your neck?”

“A symptom. It’s fine,” she insists, words weak to her own ears as she drinks more of her chlorophyll, “I’m taking care of it.” As much as she can at least.

“You don’t have to do this alone,” Thalia finally says quietly, meeting her gaze. They’ve known each other for years. Thalia hadn’t cared how young and boring Annabeth had been in college.

And Thalia had been the cool older sister Annabeth never knew she needed.

Had taught her how to roll a joint and make a full meal out of instant ramen. Had wrapped an arm around her shoulders and taken her to clubs and camping and later on, flying.

Annabeth smiles sadly, “you’ve gotta trust me. Contrary to popular belief, I know exactly what I’m doing.” And there’s no one that could help her even if that wasn’t true.

*

Ethan dies.

Add him to the list of people she’s failed.


	8. Chapter 8

Annabeth sees the rash extending, blood veins gone wrong with palladium poisoning, as she gets ready for her sad birthday party. Katie’s leaving for New York tomorrow.

Thalia. she thinks Thalia might be here.

And everyone else are just strangers. Bodies to make it look like she has friends. Like people care about her.

Pauline walks in, case full of watches in hand. Her father gave her her first rolex. When she got into MIT. She thinks her mother might have sent a card with an assistant. “Do you know which watch you’d like to wear tonight Annabeth?”

All business.

She shrugs, feeling uncomfortable in her own skin. Feeling wrong in one of her many t shirts, blazer thrown over. “I should cancel the party.” Katie’ll have her head.

“Probably,” Pauline acquiesces. Not a hair out of place. Dress doubling as work appropriate and festive. Heels taller than anything Annabeth would be comfortable in.

“Cause it’s-“

“Ill timed?”

“Right,” Annabeth says with a slight smile, “sends the wrong message.”

Pauline offers her a drink.

Annabeth shakes her head. She can do this. Keep thinks business as usual for the next few days. She might even have a month if she doesn’t wear the suit.

Pauline sets the glass aside, features in a schooled neutrality. The same face so many people have when dealing with her. But there’s nothing in her eyes. None of the annoyance or anger.

“I gotta say it. It’s hard to get a read on you. Where are you from?”

“Legal,” she responds, quirking her lips.

“Can I ask you a question, hypothetically? Bit odd. If this was your last birthday party you were ever gonna have, how would you celebrate it?”

“I’d do whatever I wanted to do with whoever I wanted to do it with.”

Too bad Annabeth doesn’t really have anyone. Isn’t really sure what she wants. No bucket list. Pretty much been there done that already.

She drowns the drink after all.

*

After a short appearance upstairs, Annabeth goes to hide in her lab, bottle of scotch in hand, at her own party. It’s kind of sad if she thinks about it for too long. She takes another long drink.

Thalia makes her way down the steps. In jeans and her leather jacket despite the california heat. Somethings never change.

Annabeth raises her glass.

“You look like shit,” Thalia notes.

“Thanks.” She feels much the same too. Annabeth’s running out of time. There’s no leads. It’s looking very end of the road of her.

And she doesn’t want to die.

“They want you, or your suits.”

She scoffs. Of course they sent Thalia. Probably hoped that annabeth would back down in the face of her friend. “I’m not working for them again.”

“They’re not asking,” Thalia tells her, gaze even as she stares her down.

Annabeth rolls her eyes. Picking the bottle up long as she goes, “and what are they going to do?” She’s Iron Woman. And they’re not taking her suits.

It’s the only thing she has.

She leaves Thalia in her lab as she makes her way up to the party. Music loud, people drunk and dancing and she wants them all gone.

Pauline’ll make them go away. Or Katie, if she’s stuck around. Maybe she left early.

Maybe Annabeth should’ve gone with her.

Thalia followers her up, armored up in one of Annabeth’s suits. It hasn’t been painted yet. She really should’ve seen this coming.

“I’m only gonna say this once. Get out.” Thalia’s always been able to fill the room with her presence. They leave. Music coming to a stop. Her blue eyes as cold as the press makes Annabeth out to be as she stares her down. “You don’t deserve to wear one of these. Shut it down!”

Annabeth rolls her eyes. Time to take the automatic armor out for a test drive. “Festus, send up the mark VI suit.”

“Right away miss.”

“I said shut it down Annabeth!”

The suit starts clicking into place. “You’re not taking my suits.”

Thalia rolls her eyes and throws a chair at her.

It doesn’t even phase her. The wood breaking on her suit. Armored up, she’s untouchable. The dead man switch was definitely the right idea. It’ll take them years without someone like Ethan, to come close to replicate the Iron woman suit. “Sorry, pal, but Iron Woman doesn’t have a sidekick.”

Thalia throws a lamp at her, aim landing perfectly against her face. “Had enough?” Her hands close against Annabeth’s shoulders and send her up, citing the ceiling hard.

Annabeth rolls her eyes. The effect ruined by her mask sure, but Thalia knows her well enough to see through it. Time to end this.

She flies, tackling Thalia, her grip around her friend firm as they both go smashing through a wall like it’s made of paper.“You want it? You’re going to have to go through me!”

Her hand comes up instinctively, the blue light aimed at her oldest friend. In her heart of hearts, she knows that she’ll do it. Shoot Thalia at point blank.

Fuck. Annabeth’s always messing up somehow. Always going down every slippery slope willingly.

“Put you hand down,” Thalia growls.

She won’t back down now. Not when this is all she has left. And she won’t even have this for much longer.

“You think you have what it takes to wear that suit,” she yells, her voice strained with frustration and anger and the tears that always form when she’s angry. Annabeth wishes she was the cold bitch people say she is. But she cares. She cares so much she wants to scream.

“We don’t have to do this Annie.” Thalia doesn’t flinch. Still giving her a way out even now.

“YOu wanna be their war machine! Take your shot.”

“Put it down!”

Annabeth’s hand wavers as she responds back, “Take the shot!”

“Drop it Annie!”

“No!”

Thalia takes the shot, sending her flying back into another wall, her head spinning. It takes too long for her to steady herself. Body tired, and unresponsive.

Her friend takes the suit. Annabeth thinks of flying after her. But she was going to get the suit one way or another.

They’re probably not friends anymore.


	9. Chapter 9

Annabeth’s head pounds, as she sits in a donut eating a donut. Her dad always brought donuts home when he got in late, which was often. They’d cut them in half, for a late night snack and breakfast.

Her whole body feels sore.

Black SUVs drink up and she guesses it’s the government to take her in. Or maybe they don't care as much now that they’ve taken what they wanted from her. She’s always been an extraneous factor.

When did Thalia become the easier one to deal with, out of the pair of them.

The woman who exits is short, and nonetheless intimidating for it. Her braid hanging down tightly past her shoulders. Bangs barely brushing against her brows. A sternest to her features that spoke of someone used to having her orders followed to the letter, back ramrod straight in a black leather trench coat that falls to her knees.

“Miss, I’m going to have to ask you to exit the doughnut.”

Annabeth follows her into the shop, still in her armor. She can’t help but roll her eyes, as she takes the seat on the empty bench. The woman takes her coffee black.

“Reyna. Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano. I’ve heard a lot about you Miss Chase.”

“Funny,” Annabeth replies, “I’ve never heard anything about you.”

Reyna smiles, all teeth. “I wouldn’t be good at my job if you’d heard of me.”

Annabeth can’t help but roll her eyes. Looking around the shop. Empty of civilians. Maybe a coffee would help the hangover. Maybe she could still apologize to Thalia. Explain herself.

The endplate was always for Thalia to be-but not like this.

“That’s not looking too good.” Reyna tips her chin, sharp eyes catching the intoxicated veins, starting to creep up her neck.

She really really shouldn’t have picked a fight last night. Her blood toxicity was high as it is.Annabeth tries to play it off. “I’ve been worse.”

Pauline approaches them, skin like freshly polished copper. This time, wearing black cigarette pants and a perfectly tailored olive green t shirt with athletic shoes too finish off the look. Unlike before, where she’d been polish and professional, she looks calm and comfortable. A smile on her lips to match the mirth in her eyes.

She’s no less attractive in clothes that wouldn't look out of place in a park, than a dress. Elevating her basics in the very way she carries herself.

A spy? Or some agent from uncle sam then.

“We’ve secured the perimeter but I don’t think we should hold it for too much longer.”

“You’re fired,” Annabeth tells her petulantly.

Not-Pauline grins as she takes a seat next to Reyna. “That’s not up to you.”

Reyna stares Annabeth down evenly. “Annabeth, I want you to meet Agent Mclean.”

“Hi.” She sits back against the vinyl booth. Katie would never do this to her.

“I’m a SHIELD shadow,” Agent McLean explains, her girl softening up to a friendly enough smile, for a spy. “Once we knew you were ill, I was tasked to you by Director Arellano.”

“Personally I would start with an apology,” Annabeth bites back.

“You’ve been very busy. You made your girl your CEO, you’re giving away all your stuff. You let your friend fly away with your suit. Now, if I didn’t know better-“

Annabeth wants to bang her head against the table. Unless they have a solution, she doesn’t want to hear this. Not even from the Shield Director. “I didn’t give her my suit. She flew off with it.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. She took it,” Reyna asks with faux disbelief, “You’re Iron Woman and she just took it? La chamaca walked in there, kicked your ass and took your suit?” She turns to her Agent buddy with a barely suppressed grin. “Is that possible?”

Annabeth rolls her eyes.

“Well, according to Miss Chase’s database security guidelines, there are redundancies to prevent unauthorized usage.”

Annabeth snaps, “What do you want from me?” Everyone always wants something. No one ever wants her. Except Katie. God she hopes she did right by her. The woman deserved it.

“What do we want from you? What do you want from me?You have become a problem, a problem I have to deal with. Contrary to your belief, you are not the centre of my universe. I have bigger problems than you in the southwest region to deal with.” She points over at Annabeth with her chin, locking eyes with McLean, “hit her.”

Agent McLean leans over viper fast and injects her right in her neck, already settling back in her seat as Annabeth’s still processing what just happened.

“What did she just do to me?”

“What did we just do for you? That’s lithium dioxide. It’s gonna take the edge off. We’re trying to get you back to work.”

There’s truth in her words as Annabeth feels relief in her neck for the first time in days. The chlorophyll doing little at this point for any of the side effects. But Lithium dioxide? “Hardly the most stable alkali metal. And-“

“Bad in the long term. I know. Like I said. It’s just to take the edge off. Doesn’t look like it’s going to be an easy fix.”

“Trust me, I know. I’m good at this stuff. I’ve been looking for a suitable replacement for palladium. I’ve tried every combination, every permutation of every known element.”

“Better get to work then.”

Agent McLean snickers.

*

“That thing in your chest is based on unfinished technology,” Reyna explains.

“No,” Annabeth huffs, arms crossed against her chest, exposed without her suit. “it was finished. It has never been particularly effective until I miniaturized it and put it in my-“

“No. Athena said the arc reactor was the stepping stone to something greater. She was about to kick off an energy race that was gonna dwarf the arms race. She was on to something big, something so big that it was gonna make the nuclear reactor look like a triple-A battery.”

“Just her,” Annabeth responds archly, “or Nemesis too?”

“Nemesis is the other side of that coin. She saw it as a way to get rich. When your mother found out, she had her deported. When the Russians found out she couldn’t deliver they shipped her ass back to Kazakhstan and she spent the next 20 years in a vodka-fuelled rage. Not quite the environment you want to raise a kid in, the son you had the misfortune of crossing paths with in Monaco.”

Annabeth’s mother might have been awful. Consumed by her work. By her vision of the future, to pay much attention to her daughter, but she can’t imagine what Ethan grew up in. At least Annabeth didn’t want for anything.

“You told me I hadn’t tried everything. What do you mean I haven’t tried everything? What haven’t I tried?”

Reyna shrugs, “She said that you were the only person that with the means and knowledge to finish what she started.”

“You’re hardly old enough to have worked with my mother,” Annabeth notes skeptically. Reyna doesn’t look much older than her.

“You don’t become Director of Shield at my age without doing a lot of research.”

She can relate to that.

“So are you that guy?”

The familiar bitterness so intertwined with the memories of her mother rises in her throat. “I don’t know where you got your information, but she wasn’t my biggest fan.”

If Annabeth had known what Athena had wanted from her, she would’ve done it just to hear a good job, just once, or even an I love you.

“What do you remember about your mom?”

“She was cold, she was calculating. She never told me she loved me. She never even told me she liked me, so it’s a little tough for me to digest when you’re telling me he said the whole future was riding on me and she’s passing it down. I don’t get that. You’re talking about a woman who’s happiest day was when she shipped me off to boarding school.”

Her parents hadn’t even seen her off.

“That might be your truth,” Reyna says carefully, “but she was also a woman working herself ragged to build a better future. And if she said you were the woman for this, I believe that.”

“Well clearly you know more about my mother than I do.”

“I do,” Reyna acknowledges, “she was one of the founding members of Shield.”

This is news to Annabeth, who’d never even heard of Shield until the Stroll brothers had strolled up to Katie a few months ago, with a card and a very long name. Both of them more trouble than their worth. “What?”

“I got a two o’clock.”

“Wait. . .”

“Okay, your good, right?” Her words leave no room for argument.

“I have questions.”

“I’d focus on fixing your heart,” Reyna gestures meaningfully, “that way you have time to ask all your questions.”

Annabeth can only purse her lips in response.

“Piper will remain a floater at Chase with her cover intact. You remember Agent Stroll, right?”

She’d bet good money its Connor, already kicking his feet up where they don’t belong as he waits for everyone to wrap it up. A grin as he catches her eyes.

“How could I forget?”

This time, Piper giggles, looking out into the San Fransisco Bay.

“And remember Annie, I’ve got my eyes on you.”

“We’ve disabled all communications. No contact with the outside world. Good luck,” she adds before leaving along with Reyna.

Annabeth turns to Connor, “where’s your brother?”

“He’s been assigned to look after Gardner. Make sure you don’t run and hide with her,” he says with a smirk. With the stroll brothers, that smirk could be anything.

“Don’t suppose you’ll just let me go?”

“No can do Annie. I’ve been authorized by Director Reyna to use any means necessary to keep you on premises. If you attempt to leave or play any games, I will tase you and watch _Supernanny_ while you drool into the carpet. Okay?”

Please, she grew up with a whole staffed house and still managed to get into trouble. Even caused a blackout at her summer camp once. She doubts these spooks can keep her here for long. “Got it.”

She heads down to her lab, where some Agents had carted boxes of her mother’s notes and research in. Time to get to work.

Or die trying.


	10. Chapter 10

She calls Katie.

It’s been her go to for so long and she’s down to two friends. Both of which are technically on her payroll, even if Katie does outrank her now.

“Sorry.”

“You’ve made a mess of things Annie,” Katie chastises, “you should’ve stopped Thalia. Or I don’t know, not picked a fight. Gone to Washington DC. This is throwing everything around Iron Woman into question. I’ve been getting phone call after phone call and the lawyers don’t want me to pursue the illegal seizure of trademark property even though they’ve assured me we have the best patent lawyers in the country.”

“I’m sorry,” she repeats herself. It’s been a while since she’s been subjected to one of Katie’s lectures. Usually they’re about the state of the environment. “I’m sorry you’re still dealing with my messes. Thats not what I wanted you to do when I made you CEO.”

“People are giving me such shit about it. And also about me.” She sounds as stressed as Annabeth feels, with no lead on how to fix her arc reactor so it doesn’t kill her.

The paper, the boxes, so far have yield nothing. Maybe once Festus is done scanning them all, it’ll give her a fresh perspective on things.

Katie sighs, all static-y. “When you told me you were doing this, being Iron Woman. You said you wanted to fix things. To be different, be better. And I believe you. But that means taking care of your shit.”

Annabeth pinches her nosebridge, “yeah,” feeling very small indeed.

“I’m not an idiot Annabeth. I know somethings wrong with you, but if you’re not going to tell me. You better fix whatever’s going on and quick.”

Katie hangs up.

She feels worse than before.

“Miss. All files have been uploaded. Where would you like to start?”

Piper comes in with two bubble teas in hand, “you strike me as a bitter match gal.” She sets the drink next to Annabeth’s worktable.

“Thanks,” she replies automatically, not bothering to look up.

“It wasn’t personal. It’s just the job.”

“I get it,” Annabeth allows. “Festus bring up the 74 Expo model, would you?”

“Would you like me to include the pretzel stands?”

Piper laughs and it’s the most beautiful sound she’s ever heard, her whole face lighting up.

“Hardy har har,” Annabeth says, rolling her eyes. She knows Festus can see, she gave him access to the cameras after all. “I’m going to assume that was rhetorical.”

“Guess that’s my cue to leave,” Piper voices as she makes her way back up the steps. “Just remember to shout eureka when you’re done.”

Annabeth’s lips quirk up at that. Her father had told her that story.

The model is projected, feeling the dimly lit room. She wonders what it would have looked like from above, from the skies in her suit.

She manipulates the image. Changing the size, giving herself a birds eye view.

In the end, the solution is simple. Simple in the way that would’ve had her mother pursing her lips, frowning and uttering “really, Annabeth. It’s elementary,” without the slightest hint of irony.

Athena’s been dead for twenty years and she’s still running circles around Annabeth.

“Festus run an arc reactor simulation with this element. Does Chasinium or Gardninium sound better?”

“The proposed element should serve as a viable replacement for palladium. And personally, there’s enough things named after Chase.”

Annabeth smiles fondly.

“Unfortunately, it;s impossible to syntheses.”

“Yet,” Annabeth utters, steeling herself for the trials to come. Theory is one thing, now comes the fun part. Making it a reality.

*

Annabeth is laying on the floor, shirt much dirtier, sporting new holes, as Festus amylases the new arc reactor prototype, if it works, she’ll need to build a new purification system to refine Gardninium, when Connor walks in.

“I’ve been reassigned,” he states, still wearing glasses even in the dark lab. “Director Reyna wants me in New Mexico.”

“New Mexico huh,” Annabeth hums, “maybe you’ll run into Grover while you’re there.”’

“I doubt we’ll be doing the same activities.”

“Secret stuff,” she grins, feeling the deep satisfaction that comes with a finishes product.

“Don’t you know it. I’m practically James Bond.”

“Good luck with that Stroll.”

Festus waits until the lab is secure before announcing the diagnostic results. “Congratulations Miss, the arc reactor is stable. The form had to be changed to a triangle to maximize the efficiency of the new element.”

She cups the new arc reactor in her hands, gentle as she takes in the steady glow, the hum of electricity being generated. There’s a knot in her stomach that loosens. One less thing to work herself sick over. She’s really glad she’s not going to die. She’s not ready. There’s still so much she hasn’t done. More to offer the world.

“Incoming call with a blocked number miss.”

“Guess their blackout isn’t all that good,” she muses. “Accept.”

A dead man answers, “hey there Annie, how are you doing?”

Ethan. She was told he was dead.

“You’re sounding pretty chipper for a dead guy.” How? How was this possible? There had been a body.

“Trace him,” she orders Festus.

“You too. You said you’d look into my mother. You lied,” he says sounding very finger wagging stern.

Shit. Katie had been right. She was dropping the ball, trying to do more than she could handle at once. “I was taking care of my palladium problem,” she answers honestly. He hadn’t seemed like that bad of a guy to her. Very reasonable for someone who tried to kill her. “But I looked into it. Nemesis. She deserves credit, despite everything that happened then.”

“I was looking to get you a plea deal,” she adds.

“Hm. Things could’ve gone much better, in another life for us. Do you think we would’ve been friends.”

Yes. She believes it easily. Annabeth has always gotten along with bright young minds. And Katie was right. Ethan was handsome, smart, and most certainly, her type. “Yes. We still can. Tell me what happened. I can help you”

“Too bad.” Ethan hangs up.

“Festus?”

“I was only able to trace the call as far as the area of Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs.”

Chase Expo, she thinks darkly.

“Looks like its time to take this reactor for a test drive.” She clicks it into place, taste of metal and coconut blooming in her mouth. The reactor bright enough to hurt her eyes, white brightness in the dim room.

“Let’s suit up.”


	11. Chapter 11

She reaches the Expo as Justin Hammer’s giving his presentation. If she was still CEO, she wouldn’t have given him a second. But she can see why Katie would’ve though this was a good idea. Let the whole world see what a moron he was.

She hails Thalia, a hand clapped lightly over her friends shoulder, “We got trouble.” Beating her to punch before Thalia can get a word in.

“Annie,” Thalia hisses back, “there are civilians present. I’m here on orders. Let’s not do this right now.”

“Give then a wave then.”

Justin smiles, shaking her hand enthusiastically, “Hey all right!”

“All these people are in danger. We gotta get them out of here. You gotta trust me for the next five minutes.” She can’t take Ethan’s words as anything other than a threat. Can’t afford to.

“Yeah,” Thalia replies through clenched teeth, “tried that already. I got tossed around your house remember.”

“I think he’s working with Nakumura.”

“Nakumura’s alive?”

“Yup.”

She lets her mask peel back, ready to confront the self congratulatory Justin, “Where’s Nakumura?”

“Who,” Justin says with childish delight.

Annabeth rolls her eyes. She looks back at Thalia, hoping she’s got her on the same page. Their fight isn’t important right now.

The gun on Thalia’s suit takes aim at her.

“Is that you?” Her mask slides back into place. Festus’ voice ringing in her helmet, noting how the other Hammer robots have taken aim at her, armed and ready to fire.

“No, I’m not doing that. That’s not me. I can’t move. I’m locked up. I’m locked up! Get out of here. Go! This whole system’s been compromised.”

Of course this couldn’t be easy. Just great. She powers her suit on. She has to get them away from the civilians that still think this is all part of the Expo. “Let’s take this outside then.”

She flies off as the drones and Thalia shoot at her.

“Festus,” she orders, trying to get the drones to chase her, to follow her so she can destroy them at a safe distance away from everyone. Give the security time to evacuate the Expo. “hack her. I need to own her.”

“Yes miss.”

“Annie,” Thalia says over the comms, voice shaking, “I’m locked on. I have target lock.”

Shit.

She engages her evade maneuvers,waiting for Thalia to fire before she flies into some of the drones. Less enemies shooting at her.

Less to take out.

“Miss,” Festus informs her, “the drones are breaking formation. Targeting the Expo.”

Shit.

“How are you doing on the suit?”

“Remote reboot unsuccessful.”

Shit.

She flies, using herself as a shield between the people on the ground and the drones, taking aim as soon as she can. She needs to take them all out and fast.

Her specs lock on and then other drones follow her, giving her no choice but to keep moving.

She can’t draw them anymore than they are to the Expo. There’s so many people.

A blast sends a drone crashing into a pretzel stand, before it can lock onto a child, wearing a flimsy Iron Woman costume.

“Nice job kid.” She’ll be better than her mom.

She kicks off, “Thalia. The empty field behind the Expo.”

“You’ve got multiples locked onto you,” her friend grits out.

“Good.”

She flies over the parking structures, as fast as she dares. The last thing she wants is to lose any.

“Annie! I’m closing in on you!”

Annabeth rolls, flying in zig zag formations, taking care to avoid any patterns. This many drones could break through the armor with the amount of firepower they have.

She can’t risk it.

she needs to keep them close. Flying in tight, hoping some of the stragglers will crash into the ground, into the buildings, as they fly tightly packed together. Her specs running over each area, assessing the people there.

These pavilions weren’t open yet. Thank god.

They got lucky.

“Thalia, you still locked on?”

“Yeah.”

“Good,” she smashes through the sculpture of the world. A beautiful commission from some crunchy granola artists Katie loves.

Drones explode around her, falling to the ground, puppets with their strings cut.

Some down, still Thalia to go.

“Thalia you okay?”

The answer is abundantly clear when the weigh of her suited up friend crashes against her, taking them both down, landing in the empty field. Thalia pins her down, all of her combat training little more than muscle memory at this point. The end of her gun pointed right in Annabeth’s face.

“Annie!”

She braces herself.

It’s Thalia.

Annabeth couldn’t shoot her.

Can’t do anything but wait.

Thalia is the strongest woman she’s ever known. Loyal through Annabeth’s hard exterior, one of the only people Annabeth trusts.

If anyone can overcome the programing, it’s Thalia.

The gun in Thalia’s hand holds steady.

Annabeth swallows thickly, not daring to say a word.

A metal covered arm wraps itself around Thalia’s throat, Ethan clad in a larger suit than their’s, his other hand rips the gun from Thalia’s suit. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she lets out a little breathlessly.

“What about the other drones,” Thalia grunts out.

Ethan lets go of Thalia, his hand going over to a control panel on his suit, “I’vve got it.”

“Was it you,” Annabeth spits out.

“Some of it,” he confesses as the drones fly up, high into the night sky, before exploding into a thousand pieces, like some messed up version of fireworks. “Hammer broke me out of prison. Well, I’d use kidnap. Told me he’d let me go if I built him suits like yours.”

“That moron,” Thalia utters, shaking her head, having now regained control of her suit. “He wears supreme like it makes him cool when he’s just rich.”

“I-I messed up.”

Annabeth isn’t stupid. Ethan wanted to hurt them. Wanted, past tense. He was hurt and lashed out when Annabeth dropped the ball, but he did the right thing in the end. Like her.

The mask slides off, revealing the dark hair falling into his face, worn eyes. He reaches his hand out, offering his help.

She takes his hand, lets herself be helped, but pulled up.

“You did,” she states, with no real heat. “Hammer’ll be imprisoned for treason.”

“Fuck yeah,” Thalia adds.

“Good.”

“And I’ll issue that statement.”

They all stand, regarding each other. She still has a lot of explaining to do to Thalia. And Ethan tried to kill them. The fact that they’ve all let their masks down has to mean something.

“If you cooperate I could get you a plea deal,” Annabeth offers. It’s not his fault he was born into shitty circumstances. He deserves a second chance.

Ethan shakes his head, “They’ll want to use me. And-,” he looks down at his hands. Annabeth can relate.

“He’s not wrong,” Thalia voices.

She offers the next best thing. “Your dad’s still alive. He’s in San Diego. Or you could go help hank Pym. He came up in the list of people my mother wronged.”

Ethan snorts, his eyes dancing with amusement.

“See you around.” His mask slides into place and he takes off into the night.

“Are you sure you don’t want to give him your number,” Thalia teases, elbowing Annie.

“Shut up.”

“I’m sorry.”

Annabeth sighs, “it’s fine. Now, I mean. I got a new arc reactor. Miles better than the last one. And we’re good. Right?”

“Yup, we’re good.”

They take off.


	12. Chapter 12

The first thing Katie does when she lands, everyone present watching with amusement, is smack Annabeth’s uncovered head. “When were you going to tell me you were dying!”

She looks over at Piper accusingly, “you told her!”

“She deserved to know,” the spy shrugs.

“No,” Katie says, voice wavering as her eyes water, “eyes on me Chase!”

“I was-I’m telling you now. It doesn’t matter I fixed it.”

Katie smacks her again.

“I didn’t want to alarm you! There was going to be a new plant and granola involved. Those smoothie bowls you like so much.”

Katie’s arms wrap around her, “you’re so dumb Annie.”

Her chest fills up with warmth. Relaxed for the first time since the senate hearings started.

“You’ve got to tell me these things as they happen.”

“Of course. I will. Promise. I just wanted to take care of you like you took care of me.”

Piper clears her throat, “save it for the honeymoon.”

Thalia snorts.

Annabeth flushes furiously. She’s really in it now. They’re all going to start ganging up on her. She can see it now.

*

Reyna tosses a file at her. “Read.”

“You do know I don’t actually work for you right,” Annabeth says, with a raised eyebrow as she puts her oatmeal aside. “AVENGERS Initiative preliminary report? What’s the Avengers?”

“Just a little project I’m putting together,” Reyna answers, hands behind her back as she takes in the view of the bay.

She reads.

“Personality overview. Miss Chase displays compulsive behavior.” In my own defense, that was last week. And I think perfectionism is more fitting. “Prone to narcissistic tendencies.” Okay, I’ll give you that. “Doesn’t work well with others,” she has to roll her eyes there, “hardly my fault others can’t keep up.” Which she knows is only proving the point, but she’s also not wrong.

“Okay, here it is. “Recruitment assessment for Avenger Initiative. Iron Woman? Yes.” I gotta think about it.” She grins, before continuing. “Annabeth Chase not… Not recommended”? That doesn’t make any sense. How can you approve me but not approve me? I got a new ticker. I’m trying to do right by Katie. By everyone. I-“

“I want you on board strictly as a consultant.”

Annabeth purses her lips. “Probably for the best. Katie might kill me if I sign up for more heroics.”

Reyna gives her an indulgent smile. “Anything else Miss Chase,” her raised eyebrow clearly means that she should say now.

But, well, “I’m in. For a small favor.”

“Spit it out Chase.”

“Thalia and I are being honored in Washington. I’d like a certain presenter.” There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun now and then. Senator Stern more than deserves it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk if ill continue this series but i do like writing these so mb mb


End file.
